


In Plain Sight

by Coalmine301



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [3]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Imprisonment, Manipulation, Sheev Palpatine is his own warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:00:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29189676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coalmine301/pseuds/Coalmine301
Summary: Sidous had held prisoners before. It was always entertaining watching them squirm and struggle fruitlessly before eventually breaking under his hand. And if nothing else they served as good conduits for ancient rituals.But this one was different.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Sheev Palpatine, Sheev Palpatine & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138955
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	In Plain Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Febuwhump prompt "Imprisonment"

If there was one thing that Siduious despised more than any other, it was Jedi. 

The name alone made him want to gag. Everything about them stunk of Light and self-sacrifice. It was annoying how straight up good they all were… or at least, claimed to be.

But as much as he complained, Sidious was indeed pleased with how easy they were to manipulate. An Order of fools sebring a corrupt body, a body with him at the head.

Especially when he could order a fool to march right up to his door and have them be none the wiser. 

Yes, this would go nicely…

Sidous had held prisoners before. It was always entertaining watching them squirm and struggle fruitlessly before eventually breaking under his hand. And if nothing else they served as good conduits for ancient rituals.

But this one was different.

Before him Kenobi knelt, forced onto his knees by heavy chains. A heavy force-suppressing collar sat around his throat, preventing him from reaching out to anyone. And -more importantly- preventing anyone from reaching out to him.

Defiance still shown in those azure eyes. He hissed and spat every time Sidious came to visit his latest captive. “Traitor” he snarled, as if that feeble word meant anything to the Sith Lord. Yes, he fought tooth and nail every step of the way.

Sidious was unconcerned. Kenobi would break eventually.

They all did.

For now he took his time watching Kenobi struggle. 

Even shirtless, bloodied, and sleep deprived the bearded man remained defiant. No matter which way Sidious walked in that cell Kenobi kept blue green eyes fixated on him. 

The Jedi maintained an unafraid front, solid and impenetrable.

And yet Sidious saw the cracks. He was overcompensating his fearless mask. It wasn’t hard to see the way narrowed eyes darted over Sidious’ shoulder at the staircase beyond. Nor the way he shied away from outstretched hands. 

He was scared. And the Darkside delighted in the Jedi’s fear.

All too soon his comm went off and Sidious had to step back from Kenobi’s kneeling form to answer it. “Come in.”

“My lord, Knight Skywalker is here to see you,” came Mas Ameda’s voice.

At his friend’s name Kenobi’s head came up, a look of alarm in those beautiful azure eyes. “Anakin.” Of course the moment he noticed Sheev watching him, those features contorted into a furious snarl. “If you harm a hair on his head…” 

The Jedi trailed off, the threat explicit. As if he had any room to be making such claims, Force suppressed and shackled as he was. Still, Sidious had to admit he admired the man’s spirit. As useless as it was now.

And so the Sith Lord smirked. “We shall see, my good jedi friend.”

A graceful flick of the wrist was all it took for a good chunk of the stones buried in the wall to tear themselves free. In just a few heartbeats a hole the size of a door remained. In the darkness beyond only a small, stone staircase was visible. 

“Unfortunately, this is where our visit ends,” the older man stated with faux-disappointment. “I best not let our young friend get too impatient.”

With that Sdious turned and left the small room, cloak billowing dramatically as the wall reassembled behind him. Not so much as a trace of the door remained. 

Up those stone stairs the Sith marched, mentally cursing how hard the activity was on his weathered knees. Though, he had to admit it did incorporate nicely into the secret rooms’ gloomy torture aesthetic. And so he suffered in the name of dramatics. 

It took unlocking a few more heavy metal doors with a touch of the darkside before the aged man emerged in the back rooms of his office. From there he could casually walk out to greet his future apprentice, looking as though nothing was wrong.

And as he did Sidious slithered back into the disguise that called itself Palpatine.

As expected, Skywalker was pacing up a storm, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. It didn’t take a force sensitive to see the turmoil of anger and frustration bubbling just below the surface.

“Any luck, my boy?”

Startled, young Skywalker whirled around to face the new voice. Yet once he saw it was just an old friend the younger man relaxed.

“I’m afraid not, Chancellor,” he replied. 

Palpatine suppressed a scowl, instead giving a gentle smile. “My boy, you know you don’t have to call me Chancellor in here,” he gently prodded.

“Of course, Palpatine.”

Walking over, the aged man placed a steady hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “Now, why don’t you talk to me about this. It can’t be good for you to keep things all bottled up like the Jedi want you too.”

“It’s because they don’t care,” the blonde snarled, pulling away. “Obi-wan’s been missing for almost a month now and The Council just doesn't care. He’s one of them, for stars’ sake! You would think…” Anakin trailed off, sneering in disgust.

Palpatine just barely resisted the urge to smirk. The Council did, in fact, care about their youngest member. Certainly enough to send multiple search parties after the missing Jedi.

And just as certainly Palpatine knew they would never find anything. Not when he had Kenobi in his grasp.

“I'm sorry to hear that, my boy,” he soothed. “Tell me, has your own investigation found better luck?”

Unsurprisingly, the blonde shook his head with a scowl. “No, nothing,” he admitted. “I just, Obi-wan’s out there somewhere. Waiting for me to rescue him. I’ve done it before, I just-” a sob cut off the rest of his rambling “- I just can’t find him. Why can’t I find him?!”

Sidious took a moment to savor those delicious emotions bubbling just below the surface. Anger, fear, desperation, rage, and something dangerously close to hopelessness.

He placed a withered hand on the boy’s shoulder, inwardly cheering when Skywalker leaned into the touch. The boy was so close, teetering on the edge between dark and light. One last push and he’d finally fall.

“Oh, my boy,” he said then. “I’m so sorry.”

But really, truthfully, Sidious had never been happier.


End file.
